Planting and caring for purslane in open ground, description of the best varieties

Many gardeners plant purslane in their gardens. This is a beautiful ground cover flower that can decorate almost any flower bed. Before planting it, you will have to understand the tips for caring for and planting purslane.

Description and features

Purslane is a decorative flower that is grown by most gardeners. The plant is short-growing, since the height of its stem does not exceed thirty centimeters. The root system is considered spindle-shaped and branched, it has many small roots. During the flowering process, the flowers turn yellowish, white and reddish.

Choosing between an annual and perennial flower

Some inexperienced gardeners consider purslane bushes to be annual plants, but this is not so. Today, many perennial hybrid varieties have been developed that can be grown both indoors and outdoors. Experts recommend planting perennial flowers, since they can be grown in one place for a long time.

Kinds

There are four varieties of plants that have different distinctive features.

Large-flowered

This is a decorative flower that is popular among gardeners from all over the world. The advantages of large-flowered varieties include:

• the size of the flowers, the diameter of which is 4-6 centimeters;
• long flowering;
• resistance to diseases.

Ampelny

A perennial hybrid bush that can be planted outdoors. The distinctive features of ampel flowers are fleshy oval leaves and thick stems. The flowers bloom in summer and come in purple, orange and reddish colors.

Garden

Garden purslane, or garden purslane, is classified as a low-growing flower with a height of 25-35 centimeters. The bush spreads on the ground, its stems are covered with large green leaves. Over time, flowers appear on the plant, which turn yellow after blooming.

Flowering

When decorating a garden, a flowering species is often planted, which blooms longer than other plant varieties. The low-growing stems of the bush grow up to 25 centimeters. With proper care, it can grow up to forty centimeters.

Popular varieties

There are nine varieties of purslane, which are planted by many gardeners.

Royal

People who want to plant a garden with plants with large flowers can plant the Royal variety. In summer, large flowers with a diameter of more than five centimeters appear on the bushes. Their color may vary, depending on the type of Royal variety planted.

White-flowered

This variety differs from others in its snow-white inflorescences, which look like marshmallows. The advantages of the White-flowered plant include the growth rate of bushes, resistance to drought and common ailments.

Princely

People who do not want the planted flowers to close at night can plant Princely Purslane. This is a large-flowered plant, the inflorescences of which have a variety of colors. Such bushes are undemanding to care and resistant to hot weather.

Air marshmallow

An annual and low-growing bush, the main stem of which does not grow more than ten centimeters. Airy marshmallows spread well over the surface of the earth. Its flowers are large and have a diameter of about seven centimeters. The compactness of Air Marshmallow allows you to grow it in baskets, pots and even cups.

Splendence

A compact bush that differs from other varieties in the bright color of its inflorescences. The bloomed petals are bright pink with a slight purple tint. Splendence is resistant to viral diseases and high temperatures.

Double Mix

A low flower bush grown in open ground. It is resistant to heat and therefore grows well in the summer. Needs regular feeding and watering for better flowering.

Sunglo

A large-flowered perennial plant whose flowers will not close at night and on cloudy days. Sunglo is distinguished by its ease of care, long flowering and immunity to most diseases.

Terry mixture

The shrub has creeping shoots, the length of which is 20-25 centimeters. The flowers of the Terry mixture are small, only four centimeters in diameter. The advantages of the variety include the speed of emergence of seedlings, which begin to hatch ten days after planting.

Scheherazade

A large-flowered variety of purslane that blooms only in sunny weather. At night and in cloudy weather, the flowers close completely. Scheherazade begins to bloom in the first half of July and ends after 2-3 weeks.

Growing

There are two methods of planting purslane that you need to familiarize yourself with.

Seedling method

Most gardeners use the seedling method of planting flowers.

Deadlines

First, you need to figure out when they start sowing seed. Seeds are planted for further cultivation of young seedlings in the twentieth of March or in the first weeks of April.

How to plant

Before sowing the seeds, you need to prepare containers in which they will germinate. To grow purslane, choose small pots that can be covered with a lid.They are filled with soil mixture and holes are made for seeds.

Soil requirements

Before planting seeds, you need to prepare a soil mixture. To do this, soil from the garden is mixed with expanded clay and perlite. This is necessary to create a small drainage layer. The soil is also mixed with wood ash and droppings for better growth of seedlings.

Temperature

Seedlings must be grown at optimal temperatures. Experts advise growing it in warm rooms where the temperature does not drop below twenty degrees.

Ventilation

Some people believe that when growing purslane there is no need to ventilate, but this is not true. The room where the seedlings grow must be ventilated regularly. Experts recommend doing this at least three times a week.

Thinning

When the seedlings grow to 5-6 centimeters in height, you need to start thinning them. This procedure is carried out so that the plantings are not too thick. When thinning, weak and small shoots are cut off.

Picking

Experts advise picking for people who have planted seeds in a large container at a distance of less than a centimeter from each other. When the third true leaf appears on the young seedlings, they are transplanted into separate containers.

Hardening

Before planting seedlings in the garden, they are pre-hardened. To do this, flower pots are taken outside for 2-3 hours every day. This should be done in the spring, when the temperature rises to 10-15 degrees.

Planting in open ground

Germinated and hardened seedlings can be planted in open ground. Before doing this, holes 4-5 centimeters deep are created in the area.They are pre-watered and fed with organic matter so that the seedlings grow faster. After this, seedlings are planted in the dug holes and buried in soil.

Seedless sowing method

Some people plant purslane without seedlings.

Deadlines

Flower seeds should be planted outside in the spring, when there is no frost and the air warms up to 15 degrees above zero.

Site selection

Having decided on the timing, choose a place for sowing planting material. It is necessary to select a well-lit area in the garden, which is illuminated by sunlight most of the day.

Soil preparation

In order for the planted seeds to germinate faster, it is necessary to prepare the area for planting in advance. The place where the bed will be located is fed with organic matter and mineral fertilizers. They also add a little sand to the soil to make it loose.

Planting scheme

Since the bushes spread on the ground, they are contraindicated to be planted next to each other. Therefore, the distance between each hole is about 20-30 centimeters. This is enough so that neighboring bushes do not interfere with each other.

Thinning

If the plantings are thickened, they will have to be thinned out. When thinning, all weak shoots that can quickly die are removed.

Planting before winter

Only flower growers living in the southern regions can plant flowers before winter. This is done at the end of September or the first half of October.

Reproduction

Purslane can be propagated in two ways.

Seeds

The easiest way to propagate a flower is with seeds. They are collected from inflorescences at the end of summer. The collected seeds are planted in the garden in the spring for further germination.

By cuttings

To obtain cuttings that can be planted in the spring, 2-3 branches are cut from the plant.They are then placed in a jar of water for rooting. After the roots appear, the petioles are transplanted into a pot or garden.

Care

People who plant purslane should know how to care for it.

Watering

Despite its resistance to drought, the flower must be watered periodically with water. The soil is moistened infrequently - 2-3 times a month. Moistening the soil too often is contraindicated.

Mulching

Some experienced gardeners advise mulching the soil when growing a flower. To do this, the surface of the soil is covered with a thin layer of dried hay, straw or sawdust. Sometimes peat and fallen leaves are used.

Preparing for winter

Purslane does not winter well and cannot cope with frost, and therefore it must be prepared for wintering in advance. To do this, it is cut and covered with a polyethylene coating.

Collection and storage of seeds

The seed pods ripen towards the end of summer. Therefore, seed collection should be done in mid or late August. The collected seeds are placed in a plastic bag and stored until next spring.

Problems during cultivation

The main problem that gardeners face when growing purslane is poor flowering. Most often, the plant does not bloom well due to the wrong place for growing. Also, flowers may not bloom due to unsuitable soil.

How to grow at home

Some people want to grow purslane not on the street, but at home. To do this, you will have to plant the seeds in a spacious pot. In this case, you need to grow the flower on a windowsill, which is illuminated by the sun during the day.

Conclusion

Purslane is a plant used to decorate gardens and summer cottages.Before planting such a flower, you need to familiarize yourself with the main methods of growing and understand the nuances of caring for the planted plant.